The APRA Music Awards is an annual music awards event which recognises Australian songwriters. Each year, Australasian Performing Right Association Limited (APRA) gives an honour for the Licensee of the Year. This year that award went to the Australian Calisthenic Federation for being good musical citizens.
How is the APRA Award decided?
The Licensee of the Year Award, as assessed by APRA’s Board of Writer and Publisher Directors, is designed to reward licensee groups for good music citizenship. The recommended recipient has been selected against the criteria of consistent compliance and demonstrated support of music such as the presentation of local content or innovative use of music. Management recommended the Australian Calisthenic Federation Inc for the 2024 Licensee of the Year Award.
The Federation holds umbrella licences for the use of music in dance classes and associated eisteddfods. This umbrella arrangement creates administrative ease for the OneMusic team. The team enjoys a great working relationship, particularly with Board Director, Michelle Dowling. Under her remit, the licensing coverage has increased substantially.
Not only has this increased revenue, but Michelle actively promotes OneMusic to her members including the importance of ensuring that composers are paid when their music is used.
“As the National Peak Body for Calisthenics, we have worked with OneMusic to simplify the licensing process for our members. We collate the required information from our State Members regarding the number of students, studios, classes, concerts and competitions held in both regional and city locations in our member states, and we provide that information to OneMusic, who ensure we receive the required licenses. For our National Competitions, we work with both OneMusic and APRA AMCOS to ensure the event is appropriately licensed, including the music used at the venue and in the live stream”, said Michelle.
The importance of understanding music licensing
We asked ACF about the importance they placed on making sure that composers and music artists get paid properly for their work;
Calisthenics is a performance dance-sport that places a high value on the intellectual property of our choreographers and performers. Music is an integral part of our sport’s creative process, therefore it is extremely important that other creatives, such as composers, receive fair compensation for the use of their intellectual property. Crafting a single piece of music entails considerable work, involving composers, writers, producers, and others who contribute to its creation. It's essential that they are duly compensated for their music.
In our role as a National Sporting Organisation overseeing various music licensing aspects and advising our Member States on their events requiring licensed music, we've encountered challenges. The primary issue has revolved around ensuring that music is licensed appropriately for the specific type of event, whether it's an in-person competition in a theater, a promotional performance at a larger-scale event, or a live-streamed competition accessible globally. We have been able to navigate this by working closely with OneMusic to ensure correct licensing has been obtained, and we thank them for their efforts in assisting us. It is crucial to ensure licensees fully grasp the scope of their license to avoid any missteps.
As we embrace new technologies and easier access to a global music database, we must remain mindful of the origins of the music we use and ensure composers receive fair compensation. Music is intertwined with the core of calisthenics, and it is important to be conscientious about when and how we utilise others' work, ensuring proper licensing to support their livelihoods.
Music licensing in the fitness industry
It’s great to see sporting bodies such as ACF taking music licensing seriously and also being recognised for their efforts. If you use licensed music in your business and have questions around licensing, there is a wealth of information available at OneMusic’s website.
Some more articles you might enjoy:
A Guide to Understanding Music Licensing For Fitness Businesses
The soundtrack of a fitness business does more than fill silence. It sets pace in a HIIT block, softens the edges of a busy floor, and helps a new member feel like they belong. It is also, in Australia, a legal and operational choice. If you play commercially available music in a business, you are
The Plus Fitness Playbook To Successful Scaling
The opening of Plus Fitness Mambourin last month marked a milestone for the brand, which has seen its trajectory turbo-charge since its 2020 acquisition by ASX-listed company Viva Leisure. Mambourin marks 200 clubs opened with around 200,000 members and more sites in the pipeline across Victoria and New South Wales. For Australian gym owners, a
Are You Going To The Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine Symposium 2025?
As a fitness professional, you already know that real results go beyond the gym floor. While strength training, conditioning, and movement are powerful tools, your clients’ health outcomes are often shaped just as much by what happens outside their workouts – nutrition, sleep, stress, and lifestyle habits. That’s why the Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine Symposium
New Mental Health App Provides Support For Australians
A new mental health app, Supportive Mind, has officially launched as part of a collaboration between global tech leader Infosys and the Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA). Designed to improve mental health awareness and offer real-time support, the app gives individuals and mental health first aiders easy access to wellbeing tools at their fingertips. What
Book your Spot at the 2025 Aqua Summit
Aqua Summit is back and early bird tickets are available now. This is an exciting opportunity for everyone in the aquatic exercise space for both networking as well as education and development. The 2025 Aqua Summit is scheduled for 18th – 19th October, across two days of immersive learning. What is the 2025 Aqua Summit? The
Exercise as the Key to Independence for Older Adults
Less than a generation ago, turning 40 was thought of as middle aged, and starting a ‘Fitness Over 40’ exercise program would have been shrugged off as a waste of time for it being too late to get in shape. Now, what we think of as ‘middle aged’ or ‘old’ has changed as people live